Counselling
Current status: Please be aware that once you have been added to the waiting list, the turnaround time for counselling support is three months. We will not be able to offer any appointments sooner than this as things currently stand.
How Counselling Can Help You
Our women-only counselling service can address a wide range of isssues, including:
- Low confidence and poor self-esteem
- Relationship difficulties
- Low mood and depression
- Distress following emotional/physical/sexual abuse or trauma
- Domestic violence
- Stress and anxiety/panic disorders
- Bereavement and loss
- Eating disorders
- Sexuality and identity issues
- Substance misuse
Women's Counselling at DWC
We offer a low cost counselling service for women in Derby city and county and pride ourselves on being one of the few organisations to deliver this in a strictly women-only environment. We have received impressive recent feedback from clients, including:
- 100% of clients felt that their counsellor was helpful, understanding, non-judgemental and professional
- 97% of clients reported that counselling had helped them to cope better with life
- 95% of clients ended counselling with a lower score of need
Our Counsellors
Our counsellors are volunteers, who range from the experienced to the newly qualified. As an organisation which deals exclusively with women, the Centre is one of the few options for receiving women's counselling in Derby, with all of our counsellors being strictly female. They adhere to strict codes of ethics and professional conduct set out by the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Appointments
As a women's counselling service, we accept referrals from females aged 16 and over who live in the Derby and Derbyshire areas. Please call us on 01332 341633 to be added to the waiting list and you should be offered an initial assessment soon.
What to Expect at an Initial Assessment
An initial assessment lasts for around an hour and is an ideal opportunity to determine whether counselling is the right option for you. Afterwards, you will be assigned to a counsellor who best fits your needs.
Fees
While we do need to implement charges for our counselling appointments, we aim to deliver a low-cost counselling service for women in Derby and Derbyshire, especially in comparison to private counselling. The exact amount to be paid is agreed at your initial assessment and operates on a sliding scale according to your income and ability to meet the costs. Typically, our fees could be anything from £5 (which is the bare minimum that we must ask for) up to a maximum of £20.
Confidentiality
For the most part, anything that you discuss during a counselling session will remain confidential between yourself and your counsellor, as part of the professional practice code that all of our counsellors must adhere to. As will be fully explained to you at your initial assessment and during your first counselling session, there are some notable exceptions to the confidentiality rule. In particular, we have a duty to disclose confidential information in the following situations:
• If you disclose information about current child abuse
• If you disclose information about terrorism or drug trafficking
All of our counsellors are required to attend regular ongoing supervision where they discuss their client work in order to maintain ethical practices.
Complaints and Suggestions
If you are unhappy about any element of our counselling service or have suggestions on how we can improve our counselling service, please let us know. We have a strict complaints procedure in operation.
Additional Information
Please see the Publications page for an overview of the Counselling service.